Marketers are from Mars; prospects are from Venus. That’s the saying, right?

Sometimes it feels like there’s an unbridgeable chasm between what prospects want and what marketers want to give them–one that leads to questions like:

• Why don’t we see meaningful conversions on this lead form?
• Why is our bounce rate so high?
• Why don’t people visit our blog?

Disconnects can happen anywhere in your marketing—digital or otherwise—but can be especially noticeable on your website. And as the heart of your digital presence, your website must deliver a stellar experience for your prospects.

After all, think about the last time you considered a B2B purchase. What’s the first thing you did when you wanted to explore your options? I’d be willing to bet it was a Google search followed by a visit to the contenders’ websites.

So marketers must narrow the divide between what prospects want to see and what marketers want to give on a B2B website.

What are the major points of disparity?

A recent survey from Orbit Media and Ascend2 looked closely at the fault lines between marketers and prospects.

The full survey is well worth perusing—it’s a fascinating read. Those in the biz will be unsurprised that the marketers surveyed ranked calls to action, gated content, and popups as vital website features. You could also likely guess that prospects feel differently—while 80% of marketers called CTAs one of the top three most important features, 28% of prospects placed them in the top three most useful features.

On the flip side, while 12% of marketers ranked a beautiful website design in the top three most important features, 22% of prospects said it was a top three most influential feature.

Marketers are thinking about results. They need to deliver MQLs, hit KPIs, and otherwise present numbers that keep the c-suite happy. Prospects, on the other hand, want to understand whether or not the company is one they can work with.

Why the gap?

So how did we get to this place of misalignment? It boils down to what the two parties are trying to get out of the deal.

Marketers are thinking about results. They need to deliver MQLs, hit KPIs, and otherwise present numbers that keep the c-suite happy.

Prospects, on the other hand, want to understand whether or not the company is one they can work with. They’ll scan the site for signs of trustworthiness and examine if the B2B’s product or service will solve the problem they’re experiencing.

Take that stat on beautiful website design as an example. Marketers may think less of the importance of aesthetics because they’re focused on outcomes: “Who cares what it looks like? We just need that ‘Request a Demo’ button to work!”

But prospects may feel differently. What does an unattractive, disorganized site say about a company? If the business cares so little about making a good first impression, does that mean they underinvest in their offerings and customer service as well?

When you look at it that way, suddenly, you understand why website design matters! If you can approach every marketing decision with empathy for your customer, you can build far more effective digital assets.

Keep your eye on the why

Always start with the question, “Why are we doing this?”

• Why are we adding this white paper download offer to the site?
• Why are we writing a blog about this topic?
• Why are we placing a carousel at the top of our homepage?

Then answer that question focusing on the benefit to your prospects.

• We’re adding the white paper download because it has new information from a survey we conducted that will change how our prospects think about their supply chain management.
• We’re writing a blog about this topic because our customer success team says it’s one of the most common questions they get from newly onboarded clients. We want to address it proactively!
• We’re placing a carousel on our homepage because of internal disagreements about what should be featured. Hmm, I guess this doesn’t have much to do with our prospects after all.

As you can see, one of these ideas does not pass muster. Time to give that carousel the boot! The others, though, are genuinely useful to your audience.

Of course, there’s something in it for you, too. You can offer the white paper download for free in exchange for a prospect’s contact information. Your blog that addresses a common query from new clients might remove a major objection from a prospect’s mind earlier in the process.

It’s human nature to think of your own needs first. But to design an effective website, you need to move beyond that self-centered urge. Placing your prospect’s needs first helps you create a website that exceeds their expectations while still giving you what you need.

If you want to reconsider the approach to your B2B website, we’re here to center your needs in a redesign!